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Is there a consumer Windows laptop available at Best Buy or similar that has: 1) a solid state drive and 2) a display with Apple-level pixel density for subst

Is there a consumer Windows laptop available at Best Buy or similar that has: 1) a solid state drive and 2) a display with Apple-level pixel density for substantially less than a Mac? Closest I've gotten is configuring the ThinkPad T430 online up to $930, in which case we're not talking about that much cost savings. I agree with you that any modern laptop should exceed its pixel density. But take a look at your local Best Buy. Even the 15" displays are usually 1366x768. Some of the most expensive Ultrabooks might be 1080p, but those prices are Apple-level anyway. I'm between HS and college right now, so people are asking me for laptop recommendations. Most of them oppose Macs because they believe they'd be paying extra just for prestige, and I have a hard time finding them similar quality Windows hardware for any cheaper. Which leads me to conclude that Mac users are not just paying for prestige.

jmillikin 13y ago
> Is there a consumer Windows laptop available at Best Buy or similar You will not find good deals at Best Buy, on any product. Their business is selling low-value junk at hugely inflated prices, to customers who are unwilling or unable to purchase via the Internet. > Most of them oppose Macs because they believe they'd > be paying extra just for prestige This may have been true ten years ago, but Apple's relentless optimization of their supply and manufacturing pipelines mean that their hardware is often less expensive than spec-equivalent competitors[1]. If you want a laptop as good as a Macbook, you'll be paying a price similar to a Macbook. If you want a laptop with a decent screen and solid-state disk, there's a hard price floor imposed by the component manufacturing costs. Your best option if price is a strong constraint is to keep an eye on the manufacturers' sites for refurbished devices. See http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac or http://outlet.lenovo.com/ http://outlet.lenovo.com/ as examples. [1] Excluding accessories such as RAM, which are often marked up by 200-300% compared to high-quality third party products.
- superuser2 13y ago
  I understand all of this, but the people who ask me for laptop recommendations don't want to hear it. Refurbs are a good point that I had forgotten about. Often, though, only higher-end machines are available (for the same price as a new low-end machine) and the base-level models don't come down in price much.

jmillikin 13y ago

> Is there a consumer Windows laptop available at Best Buy or similar You will not find good deals at Best Buy, on any product. Their business is selling low-value junk at hugely inflated prices, to customers who are unwilling or unable to purchase via the Internet. > Most of them oppose Macs because they believe they'd > be paying extra just for prestige This may have been true ten years ago, but Apple's relentless optimization of their supply and manufacturing pipelines mean that their hardware is often less expensive than spec-equivalent competitors[1]. If you want a laptop as good as a Macbook, you'll be paying a price similar to a Macbook. If you want a laptop with a decent screen and solid-state disk, there's a hard price floor imposed by the component manufacturing costs. Your best option if price is a strong constraint is to keep an eye on the manufacturers' sites for refurbished devices. See http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac or http://outlet.lenovo.com/ http://outlet.lenovo.com/ as examples. [1] Excluding accessories such as RAM, which are often marked up by 200-300% compared to high-quality third party products.

superuser2 13y ago
I understand all of this, but the people who ask me for laptop recommendations don't want to hear it. Refurbs are a good point that I had forgotten about. Often, though, only higher-end machines are available (for the same price as a new low-end machine) and the base-level models don't come down in price much.